EP 326: Julian Dreyer – Record It Like It Sounds in the Room

Julian Dreyer is the Grammy Award-winning Chief Producer and Engineer at Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville, NC, where he’s worked for nearly two decades. His credits range from bluegrass and Americana records with Steep Canyon Rangers and Mandolin Orange/Watchhouse to a Best Children’s Album Grammy for Secret Agent 23 Skidoo’s “Infinity Plus One,” alongside assistant-engineer work on releases by The Avett Brothers, Band of Horses, and Angel Olsen. A three-time “Best of WNC” honoree, Julian favors a live, minimal-isolation approach to tracking and has stayed at the helm through Echo Mountain’s recent near-closure and 2026 reopening under new ownership.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

  • Skills that recording schools can’t teach
  •  The benefits of working in live sound and how it applies to the studio
  • The five-minute rule for technical problems that stall a session
  • The conversation to have before a band tries to cut 10 songs in one day
  • Why staying invisible during the first few takes matters
    Making recordings feel like how you hear them in the room
  • A Blumlein ribbon setup that keeps the kick and snare centered
  • How to build your own sub-kick mic with a spare speaker and a mic stand
  • Doors, stairwells, and bathrooms: free reverbs hiding in your house
  • Why super bright vocals might be causing your de-essing problem
    Volume automation versus compression
 

To learn more about Julian Dreyer, visit: https://www.juliandreyer.com/

 

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